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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fine — high quality
  9. season — in sport
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. branch — a division
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. field — a subject
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — all right
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com